Jose Hernandez is headed back to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Two days after designating the left-handed reliever for assignment, the Pirates traded Hernandez to the Dodgers on Thursday night for cash considerations.
The Pirates picked Hernandez in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft from the Dodgers, and he was 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA and 1.36 WHIP while averaging 11 strikeouts and 3.9 walks per nine innings in 50 2/3 innings over 50 appearances last season.
Hernandez, 26, didn’t make the Opening Day roster out of spring training but was added when Roansy Contreras went on paternity leave. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder notched his first career major league save by pitching a scoreless 12th inning in a 1-0 win over the Miami Marlins on March 28 in the season opener.
Hernandez split this season between Triple-A Indianapolis and the Pirates, where he was 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 5 1/3 innings over seven appearances.
